Art: Le Brun found in Ritz'z Coco Chanel suite

Louis's XIV painter, work to be auctioned by Christie's in April

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, JANUARY 23 - It's the kind of
once-in-a-lifetime find of which all art experts dream: a
painting by Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), the first painter of
Louis XIV (the Sun King), has been found in Paris's Ritz Hotel.

The hotel has been closed for renovations over the past few
months.
The find took everyone by surprise: the painting was neither
hidden amid the attic's dust nor forgotten in the basement, but
hung in full view on a wall of an elegant suite where Coco
Chanel lived for over thirty years. Nevertheless, it escaped
notice for a long time. It is due to be exhibited at New York's
Rockfeller Center soon (January 26-29) and will then be
auctioned off by Christie's on April 15.
Its discovery is the merit of a number of Ritz experts who
were drawing up an inventory of the artworks and furniture in
the hotel located in Place Vendome and owned by the Egyptian
billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed (it is also the place from which
his son Dodi and Lady Diana left in their last and fatal car
trip).
The painting (179 x 131 cm) depicts the Sacrifice of
Polysena, the beautiful Trojan princess and daughter of Priam
and Hecuba, as described by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. It is one
of Le Brun's first paintings, dating back to the years in which
the young painter left for Rome to complete his studies. He
stayed in the city for three years (1642-1646). It was later
that Charles Le Brun became the personal painter of Louis XIV
and was tasked by him with the creation of the Louvre and, of
course, the Palace of Versailles.
''When I saw the painting, I took a step backwards. The
impact with the work was considerable and the treatment of the
colours and movements surprising,'' the Ritz's artistic advisor
Joseph Friedman told the French media. Friedman and his
colleague Wanda Tymowska noted the initials CLBF on the
painting, which stand for ''Charles Le Brun Fecit'' (''Charles
Le Brun made this'') and a date, 1647. The work was later
analysed by other experts, dispelling all doubts over its
authenticity. Christie's expects the painting to draw in between
300,000 and 500,000 euros, and the proceeds from the sale will
go to the Dodi Al Fayed Foundation. The Ritz's archives give no
clue as to how or when the painting was purchased, nor why it
was in Coco Chanel's suite, where the designer lived until her
death in 1971. After reporting the lucky find today, Christie's
noted that the painting was most likely already on the premises
when the Swiss businessman Cesar Ritz took on ownership in 1898.

Since August 1, the Paris hotel that has welcomed the likes
of Marilyn Monroe, Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway over the
years has been closed for massive renovation works costing 140
million euros. (ANSAmed).